The present invention relates to a device for preparing a beverage from a food ingredient provided to the device within a capsule. More particularly, the invention relates to such a device comprising an improved injection member which is connected to the device in a detachable manner.
Devices for preparing a beverage by injecting pressurized fluid into a capsule are well-known, especially in the field of producing coffee or coffee type beverages. In addition, other substances such as chocolate or milk products can be extracted or dissolved to form a beverage. The advantages of such a system are in particular the conservation and freshness of the ingredients, as well as the possibility of facilitating the operations of preparing the beverage.
The method of preparing the beverages using such a device is in principle as follows. The sealed capsule is usually first inserted into a receiving chamber of the beverage preparation device. After that, a water injecting means, such as a needle connected to the liquid supply of the device and which projects inside the receiving chamber, is introduced through a face of the capsule to inject a hot or cold liquid, in order to make the liquid interact with the ingredients within the capsule. The liquid beverage resulting from this interaction is then discharged through a delivery face of the capsule. For example, the delivery face opens due to the internal pressure in the capsule generated by injecting the liquid.
It should be understood that the interaction between the liquid and the ingredients within the capsule can be e.g. dissolving, extraction, brewing or any other interaction in order to prepare a beverage by means of ingredients provided within the capsule.
As generally the devices for applying said principle of beverage production are using water for the preparation of the beverage, scaling of the device or in particular within the injection member can affect its functionality. Further, the injection member is likely to be subjected to residua of dissolved or solid substance within the capsule to be introduced, e.g. pierced or otherwise injected, such as coffee or the like. Thus, as the injection member for piercing the capsule has a small diameter, cleaning of the injection member should be regularly carried out in order to ensure a correct functioning of the injection member and particularly to prevent the injection member from being blocked by scaling or by a substance provided within a capsule to be introduced, e.g., pierced or otherwise injected, by the injection member. Hence, a design for the injection member is sought-after which enables easy maintenance and cleaning of the injection member.
In addition, it is known that the quality of the beverage to be prepared by such a device is to a great extent influenced by the injection conditions such as the flow rate and/or the angle of injection to the capsule. Depending on the substance to be dissolved or extracted from the capsule, different injection conditions may lead to best results regarding the quality and taste of the beverage. Hence, it would be of interest to provide injection members enabling different injection conditions. Therefore, with respect to a long-life cycle of the machine, an interchangeability of the injection member is desired.
EP 1440638 A1 shows beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage from a capsule containing one or more beverage ingredients. Said machine comprises a first piercing element forming an inlet of the capsule and a second piercing element forming an outlet of the capsule to be used. The two piercing elements being formed as a single injection unit, connected to the machine in a removable way. Thus, a cleaning of the injection unit is facilitated compared to a machine where the piercing elements are fixed. However, the injection unit disclosed is provided beneath the capsule to be pierced and is not provided with a connection mechanism. Hence, an unintended removal of the injection unit may occur when the capsule is removed from the machine.
EP 1731063 A1 reveals a capsule-holder intended to be connected to a beverage preparation system comprising an injection member which extends inside a housing of the capsule-holder which houses a capsule to be provided to the beverage preparation system. However, as for security reasons, the injection member should be placed within a housing of the beverage preparation device itself. Thus, the risk of getting in contact with the injection member during the process of beverage preparation can be reduced to a minimum extent.
The present invention seeks to address the problem of providing an injection member to a beverage preparation device for the extraction and/or dissolution of ingredients provided within a capsule, which is well integrated in the device but may as well be easily removed for cleaning and maintenance purposes.
The invention also aims at other objects and particularly the solution of other problems as will appear in the rest of the present description.